Unraveling the Truth
by enigmatic-raven
Summary: Keagan's always been secretive about her personal life. Not even her father, Scott Levy, knows what horrors she's been through. But, when demons from the past come crashing back into her life, can her friend CM Punk finally get her to admit what's going on and tell him who's hurting her? Or is she doomed to repeat history?
1. Prologue

Title: Unraveling the Truth  
I own no one except my OC, Keagan Levy-McCarthy  
I wrote a one shot awhile back entitled 'Fear Becomes Reality'. After re-reading it, I decided to take it and make it a longer story. You don't need to read it to read this, I'm just taking it a bit farther this time, that's all. Not thrilled with the title, but it works for now. Enjoy!

Prologue:

November 29, 2010

She sat quietly in the diner, sipping on her coffee, occasionally glancing at her phone, looking at the time. It was three in the morning. Three in the morning and she was trying to make a decision. She could either go home and face _his _wrath again or she could make a phone call. It wasn't like he'd be sleeping. Like her, he rarely ever got more than a couple hours of sleep. Sighing, she knew she couldn't go home, couldn't face the anger she knew was still boiling in her boyfriend's blood. _Ex-boyfriend,_ she reminded herself. Just because he didn't listen didn't make that any less true. Sighing, she picked up her phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times before she heard his voice.

"Couldn't sleep either?" the voice on the other line said, making her smile a little. "What's your excuse?"

Biting her lip, she knew she couldn't tell him the exact truth, so she did what she always did in this scenario. She told a partial truth.

"I've got writer's block. I think I need to write something aside from this damn series for a bit." She replied, raking a hand over her face. "How's work?" she asked, wanting a change in subject.

"Have you been watching? I'm fucking miserable. I'm finally on Raw and I'm fucking hurt…."

"At least they've got you on commentary. You could be stuck at home doing nothing." She pointed out.

"I'd rather be home. Then I could annoy the hell out of you." He said with a little smirk. "I've got Wednesday off. What are you up to?"

She sat silent for a minute, trying to think of an excuse. Unfortunately, she was quiet for too long and Punk took it as a sign.

"That busy, huh? Good. I'm coming home and we're hanging out. We'll have a movie marathon, like old times. I'll bring the snacks; you pick out what movies you want to watch."

"Punk, I don't think-"

"Come on, Key, you've bailed out on me the past three times I've been home. I'm starting to think you don't want to see me anymore."

"It's not that, you know that…." She said in a huff, shaking her head as the waitress came by and offered to top her coffee off.

"Then what? Why don't you want to hang out?"

"It's not that I don't want to, I just….Punk, I-"

"Keagan!"

Keagan looked up and frowned as she saw _him_ there, eyes blazing.

"Punk, I've gotta let you go. Just….I'll get back to you about Wednesday." She whispered before hanging up abruptly.

Punk frowned at the phone; if he didn't know any better, he'd think this was seven years ago when he first met her. She'd been secretive, then, too…..

_6/28/03_

_Punk followed his best friend, Colt Cabana out of the arena they'd worked in that night, both tired and ready to head home. Punk stopped, however, when he saw a young woman sitting on a car, her long black hair hiding her face. He noticed she was on Raven's car and raised an eyebrow at that. Throwing his bag in the trunk, he told Colt to wait a minute, he was going to check on something. He slowly walked over to her, not wanting to startle the young woman. He gently tapped her shoulder, frowning at the flinch. _

_"Are you waiting on Raven?" he asked softly, not wanting to frighten her any more than he had. _

_The young woman simply nodded, still not revealing her face._

_"He's still inside, talking with one of the guys. He might be awhile…." _

_"That's okay. I'm used to waiting on him…" she replied quietly._

_He was about to reply, but there was suddenly a rumble of thunder and a clap of lightning. And, just like that, the sky opened and it started to rain._

_"Of fucking course…." She muttered, lifting the hood of her sweatshirt, covering her head._

_"You wanna wait in my car?" Punk suddenly blurted out, surprising them both._

_"You….why?" she asked, slowly lifting her head, revealing a busted lip and a black eye._

_Trying to remain calm, he shrugged._

_"Figured if you know Raven, you can't be too bad. Besides, he could be awhile…" _

_Nodding, she got up and shouldered her bag, following him back to his car._

_"I'm CM Punk, by the way." He said, opening the back door for her._

_"Keagan." She replied, quickly getting in. _

_"We're gonna wait for Levy to come out. She's waiting on him." Punk said to Cabana as he got in the driver's seat. The other man just nodded._

_"Hiya, I'm Colt Cabana." He said, offering his hand._

_Keagan smiled a little, holding out her hand, but kept her face covered with her hair._

_"Keagan." _

_"So, why are you waiting on Raven?" _

_"I…it's a bit of a long story. Let's just say I need some help and he said I could always come to him. Guess I'm just checking to see if that's still true…." _

_"How do you even know him? You two hook up or somethin'?" Colt asked, earning a scowl from Punk._

_Keagan laughed at that, shaking her head._

_"God no! Scott's my father." _

_"Are you serious?" Punk asked._

_"Why would I lie about something like that?" _

_"Good point. Is...are you here about those bruises?"_

_"You're blunt, aren't you?" Keagan frowned, but nodded. "But, yeah, I got in over my head with something and…." She bit at her lower lip, hating to admit needing help. _

_"You mind if I ask what happened?" Punk asked softly, turning so he was facing her. "It looks like someone used you as a punching bag."_

_"Punk!" Colt yelled, ready to admonish him before Keagan put up a hand. _

_"It's okay. He's being honest. And, he's right. I-" She stopped, looking out the window, seeing Scott going to his car. "I've gotta go. Thanks for letting me wait in your car, I really appreciate it." _

_That said, she opened the door, grabbed her bag, hopped out and slammed it shut, running over to her father. The two Chicago natives watched as Scott embraced her and then let her in his car before it sped off._

_"That was fucking weird. Let's get out of here." Colt said, resting his head back against the seat. _

_Punk nodded absently as he started the car and drove off, wondering what exactly had happened to the young woman…._

Present:

He never did get a full explanation as to what had happened to her. All he knew was it had been done by whoever she was seeing at the time. As far as he knew, Levy didn't even know who it was. But, from the sounds of it, her problem may be back. And, if it was, Punk wasn't going to let her hide who it was. This time, he was getting answers.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

December 1, 2010

Punk smiled softly as his plane finally descended into Chicago. It'd been far too long since he'd been home. When the plane had come to a complete stop and the seatbelt signs were off, he grabbed his carry-on and got off the plane. He lowered his Cubs cap and quickly made his way through the terminal then the airport, down to baggage claim. He just wanted to get his things and go. He hadn't heard from Keagan since their phone call in the early hours of Tuesday morning, but that didn't matter. He was going to stop by her place first, make sure she was okay.

"Wow, you sure look inconspicuous. I bet no one would expect to see you in that hat and a hoodie…" a voice from behind him called.

His head whipped around and he grinned as he saw one of his best friends standing there. He walked over and wrapped her up in a hug, frowning as she winced.

"What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his eyes and getting a good look at her.

She had dark sunglasses on, so he couldn't see those beautiful emerald eyes he loved so much. She had on her own hoodie and jeans. But, her middle seemed a little thicker, like there were bandages underneath.

"Can we not do this here?" she asked calmly, but he could hear the pleading in her tone.

"You drive here?" he asked, heading back to where the bags were coming in and grabbed both of his once they made their way by.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be easier than catching a cab." She replied softly, leading him outside.

The two silently made their way to short term parking and to her midnight blue Accord. She unlocked it and popped the trunk, letting him throw his bags in. She got in the driver's side, him in the passenger's seat, and the two were quickly off. Punk was silent for about two minutes before he couldn't take it anymore.

"You're not looking so hot, Key. What's going on?" he asked, not in the mood to beat around the bush.

"I could ask you the same. Those circles under your eyes are getting darker and thicker every week. Do you even sleep anymore?" She shot back, keeping her eyes on the road.

"You're paler than the last time I saw you-"

"Last time you saw me was in July, Punk. It was summer, I had a tan. Well, maybe more of a burn, but-"

"You know what I mean, Keagan. Talk to me, please."

"There's nothing to say. I mean, I've got a bit of a cold, but, that's it." She replied dismissively, turning on the radio to drown out his questions.

"If you weren't going to talk to me, why'd you pick me up?"

She was silent long enough for Punk to think she wasn't going to answer. He closed his eyes, resting his head back against the seat.

"You were right. I've been blowing you off and….I do miss you." She finally answered quietly. "There's a bunch of movies in the backseat, if you still want to watch them with me. We can stop at the store…" She offered.

Smiling slightly, he reached in the backseat, his smile widening as he saw there were probably dozens of movies back there, all of them horror.

"My place or yours?" He asked, glancing back over at her.

"Yours." She answered quickly. "I figured you might have mail to check, things to do, so we should go there."

Punk didn't really believe the answer, but, he nodded. He only wished she would trust him more. The two were quiet again and listened to the music.

It took about two hours for the two to go to the grocery store and get their snacks for their movie marathon. It would've been quicker, but, they both had their share of fans coming up to them. Both of them were used to it; Punk because of his fame from the WWE and Keagan from her books-turned-movies about Irish folklore. She'd turned fairy tales into fantastic terrors the likes of which most people couldn't even fathom and she made a fortune doing so.

After their little adventure to the store, she grabbed a few of her favorite movies, Punk doing the same, and the two made their way into his home. She set her purse on the couch, and then put the movies and snacks on the table.

"Which movie do you want to watch first?" She called out to him, smiling as he entered and set down his own bags.

"Dawn of the Dead." Was his instant reply, pulling out a bottle of water from one of the bags.

Nodding, she pulled out the movie and set his television up, turning it on. She watched as Punk sat on one end, sifting through his mail, and sat on the other end, slipping out of her shoes and curling her legs under her body.

Punk frowned as he noticed she was so far away and turned to her, setting his letters down.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" When all she did was shrug, he grabbed the remote from her and moved it out of her reach, not letting her start the movie. "Keagan, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing, I'm just more comfortable over here."

"Bullshit." He got up and moved closer to her, frowning as she actually pulled back, as if expecting to get hit. "Keagan…"

"Maybe this was a bad idea…" She got up, groaning as he caught her by her middle. "Let go, damn it!"

He did let go, but only so he could lift her hoodie and t-shirt up, ignoring her yelling to stop. When he saw the bandages, he lifted his head. The pain in her eyes, the guilt he saw broke his heart.

"What happened?" he asked as calmly as he could manage.

"I-I wasn't watching where I was going when I went to do my laundry and I fell-"

"Stop." He held up his hand, shaking his head. "Don't start this lying bullshit with me again. I ignored it last time and I hated myself for it. I'm not going to again. Now, what really happened?"

He watched her bite her lower lip, looking for all the world like a child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She lowered her eyes, tears silently falling down her cheeks.

"I-I tried to end it. Again. I shouldn't have started it up again to begin with, but…he changed. He was…he was different, he was better. And, for a few months, it was great. Then….he got angry and…" she shook her head, trying to get herself under control.

Punk led her back to the couch, sitting her down and sitting next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he ran his fingers through her hair.

"It's the same person as it was last time? The same guy who was hurting you when we first met?" He asked quietly, not wanting to scare her.

"Yeah, it's the same guy." She said softly, looking up at him, smiling softly through the tears. "You remember when you had that dog collar match with my father?"

"Keagan, don't change the subject-"

"He was there." She interrupted. "After I left you and Colt that first time we met, dad and I argued the whole way back to his hotel, argued in the hotel. He was so fucking persistent-like you are now-and just wanted to know who it was, why I bothered protecting him. I told him I was in love and Scott laughed. He said I was only 23, thought I was still too young to fall in love, no matter how smart I was." She rearranged herself so her head was on his chest, but she was facing away from him. "I realized then I wasn't ready to tell him, ready to face my problems. So, the next morning I left before he was up and I went home, trying to figure out what to do. I walked in and he was there and he was just so angry. It was like that was all he could feel anymore. I tried to calm him down, did whatever he wanted. It just…it never seemed to be enough. So, when I heard that the next Ring of Honor show was in New Jersey and that dad was going to be there, I figured I'd tell him then, finally come clean. I knew he'd be pissed, I knew he'd want to beat the hell out of the guy, but, I figured, at least it'd be out there, it'd be over…"

"But, you didn't tell him. I talked to Levy after that; he was still pissed you wouldn't tell him." Punk added, running his hand up and down her arm, trying to keep her calm as well as keep himself occupied.

"No, I didn't. I never did. I couldn't. The…the night before, he was in such a rage…" She shuddered, shaking her head. "It was bad…so bad I considered not going to the show. But, I promised dad and he went and told Uncle Tommy I was going to be there. Man, Dreamer seeing me like that didn't help my cause…."

"I remember that. It was after the show. I was talking to Scott and Tommy came over, his arm around your shoulders and he just grabbed Scott and the three of you went off…"

"Tommy and dad have a volatile relationship. They're friends, but dad does a lot to piss Tommy off and vice versa." Keagan responded, a small smile on her face at the thought of her father and 'uncle'. "They had it out that night and Tommy…he begged me to tell him who it was, just so it would stop…" She sniffled a little, trying to hold back tears. "I hated telling him no…"

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"No. But…someone found out. About 4 years ago, she saw him haul off and hit me. She didn't come to me until after he was gone. She told me what she saw, I tried denying it…she wouldn't let me. Finally, all the secrecy, all the lying, it just caught up to me and I couldn't keep it up. I told her part of what had happened. She…she helped me leave him the first time. Fuck, if she knew I went back to him…" She shook her head.

"Keagan, I need you to tell me who is doing this. You can't take this anymore, he's already hurt you so much. Don't let him keep doing it. Please."

"Can…can we just have one good night before it all goes to hell?" She asked, her voice sounding so far away, making her sound so small. "I-I know I have to tell you, tell someone. I just….I want some normalcy before it gets fucked up. Please? We'll talk about it, I promise. Just…not tonight."

Unable to deny her anything, Punk kissed the top of her head, gently squeezing her shoulders.

"Did you at least go to the hospital for-"

"I think it's just a few bruised ribs. Not much they can do for me except wrap me up, which is already taken care of, and give me some pills, which you know I won't take. Don't worry, I'm taking it easy." She said, turning to look at him, pecking his cheek. "Can we please just watch movies, order pizza, and eat a bunch of crap you'll need to run a marathon to work off?"

Laughing, he handed her the remote and the two curled up and did just as she wanted. By the fifth movie, Punk had finally fallen asleep. Carefully sliding off the couch, she scribbled a quick note before leaving.

Punk awoke at the sound of his front door shutting. Trying to shake the cobwebs from his head, he frowned as he saw Keagan was nowhere in sight. He heard the car start and he ran to the window, cursing as he saw it was hers and she was leaving. He grabbed his phone and tried calling her, but it went right to voicemail. As he thought about it, he hadn't heard her phone go off the entire day, hadn't seen her even look at it. She must've shut it off, but, why? She never did that, not with her editor and agent always trying to contact her. As he thought of all of this, he noticed the small piece of paper on the table and recognized her handwriting. He picked it up and read it.

_Punk,_

_I'm sorry for leaving like this. I'll keep my promise and I'll tell you everything. But, I need to take care of a few things first. It may be a while before I see you again. But, thanks for a great night. I really missed you._

_Keagan_

Crumpling the paper, he tossed it across the room and grabbed his keys and phone, heading out. He wasn't going to let her leave like this. Not this time….


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: So, as I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm going to jump from my OC's perpective to Punk's. Personally, I think it helps explain their relatiosnhip better and helps it flow smoother. If you don't agree, I'm sorry, but that's how I feel like writing it! Anyways, I hope everyone who's reading is enjoying it.

Chapter 2:

She knew she couldn't go home. If she knew Punk- and, after more than seven years of knowing him, she was pretty sure she did-he wouldn't be too far behind her and he'd be heading right for her place. If he saw her car wasn't there, though, he'd leave, try to think of somewhere else she'd go. She needed him to do that, needed him to stay away from her house. _He _was probably still there, wondering where the hell she was. If she turned her phone on now, there would probably be at least a dozen messages from him, threatening all sorts of physical pain. She wanted to laugh at that. She couldn't imagine there was anything else he could do to her that could begin to compare to what he'd already done. Without even thinking of what she was doing, she got onto the highway. She thought back to that night she'd been talking to Punk about, that night Tommy begged her to just tell him, tell her father. She had been so close….

_7/19/03_

_Keagan winced as she was pulled into the hotel room, the eyes of both her father and the man she affectionately called Uncle Tommy boring holes into her._

_"Well? You gonna start talking?" Scott asked, shutting the door and going over to the table in the room, taking a seat._

_"About what?" she asked dumbly, knowing that would just anger both._

_"Don't you dare start that again, Keagan. I saw the damn bruises, your father told me about last month. What is going on with you?" Tommy asked, getting in her face. _

_Keagan pulled away and took a seat across from her father. She grimaced as he saw him pull out a pack of cigarettes and slip one past his lips, lighting up._

_"I got in a heated fight with someone, okay? I've done worse…" She stated calmly, trying to play it off as something casual when it was anything but._

_"See? I told you she won't say a damn thing. She says she's in love with the fucker…." Scott muttered, grabbing the ashtray and flicking the end of his cigarette into it. "Don't waste your breath…" _

_Tommy growled and pulled Scott up by his shirt collar, slamming him into a wall._

_"You believe that there's someone out there beating your daughter down and you're sitting there smoking, telling me not to waste my time?! You self-absorbed little shit!" _

_Scott grunted, pushing hard against Tommy's chest until he backed up._

_"You think I don't care?! I tried my damnedest to get her to talk to me the last time I saw her. When she left without a word the next morning, I called her at least half a dozen times a day; I visited her every fucking week, trying to get her to let me in, to talk to me! She won't! She's so fucking wrapped up in whoever's doing this and I can't fucking do a damn thing except do my best to keep my fucking temper in check!"_

_"You're doing a damn good job of that…" Tommy muttered, shaking his head, turning his attention back to Keagan. "Keagan, please…."_

_"I'm fine, Uncle Tommy. Really." She said softly, fighting the tears back. "I know what I'm doing."_

_"If you're getting beaten by someone who says they love you, they obviously don't care about you." Tommy replied quietly, walking over to her, kneeling down next to her. "If I promise you he won't get hurt, that I won't let your father touch him, can you please tell me who it is? He obviously needs help…" _

_Keagan looked down at him, closing her eyes as she saw the tears streaming down his face. She almost gave in, almost told him, when there was suddenly a knock at the door. Scott went over and answered it and, when she saw who it was, she froze._

_"Oh, hey man. What's up?" Scott asked, opening the door to let the younger man in._

_"Nothing, just checking up on you guys. I heard yelling and, I was concerned."_

_"Sorry about that. We're just….having a family issue." Scott replied, looking back at Keagan and Tommy._

_"Oh, I'll let you guys talk, then."_

"No, you can stay. I was just leaving." Keagan said softly, grabbing her purse and sliding past Tommy, who was still on his knees. He quickly got up and got in front of her, caressing her cheek.

_"You know you can trust me, right? I'll always be here for you." He said, trying to smile._

_"I know, Uncle Tommy. I-I just need time, okay? I'll talk to you soon." She whispered, kissing his cheek. _

_She walked to her father, kissing his cheek, as well._

_"I won't be long, just an hour or two."_

_He just nodded and watched her go, figuring he could try to ignore his problems with her for the night and spend time with two of his friends. _

_Meanwhile, Keagan got in her car and drove around until she found a Denny's. She parked and got out, walking inside. The minute she saw a good portion of the Ring of Honor roster, she regretted her decision. But, she was hungry and she had nowhere else to go, so she grabbed a table on the other end of the restaurant, sitting in the corner. When the waitress came over, she ordered herself a Pepsi and a cheeseburger and fries. Right after the waitress left, she saw Punk get up and sighed as she saw him walking over to her. She watched as he took a seat across from her, setting his own soda on the table. _

_"Hello again. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked, wondering what the hell he was doing, coming over here._

_"I was surprised when I saw you walk in. When Tommy came over and dragged you and Scott out, I figured it might be the last time I saw either of you. What happened?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink._

_"Why do you care? You don't even know me." _

_"True, but, I know your father and for something to piss him off this badly…it has to be something serious. And, from the bruises I saw when we met, I can only imagine what it is." Punk replied, not even looking up at the waitress who set down Keagan's drink and told her her food would be out soon. She nodded and waited for her to leave before replying._

_"They're making mountains out of mole hills. I can take care of myself." She said, taking a sip of her drink. "So, you came over here because you're concerned? I'm touched."_

_"What can I say? I'm just a nice guy." He raised an eyebrow as she laughed. "What? I can be nice."_

_"All I've heard from my dad is that you're a smartass, abrasive, hard to talk to. Though, I have to admit, I don't see it…" _

_"You haven't been around me long enough…" He said with a smirk._

_"Maybe I'll have to remedy that. You seem like you'd be entertaining to hang out with." She laughed as he glared at her. "You're adorable when you're mad." _

_"Don't call me that." He grumbled, deciding a change in topic was in order. "So, what do you do for a living? I mean, you didn't follow in your father's footsteps, did you?" _

_"No, I'm not a wrestler. I've taken jiu jitsu for years, but that's mostly just for exercise and self defense. I'm a writer. I write horror stories for a living. The second book in my series should be out by Halloween."_

_"Really? That's impressive. What's it about?" _

_"I've taken some myths and fairy tales from Irish folklore and twisted them into a horrifying world." She said with a sadistic grin._

_"That's interesting. How'd you get into that?"_

_"Well, my mother's parents are both Irish and they raised me, so I constantly heard the fairytales. When I went to college, I dove deeper into them and it just came from that." She said with a shrug. _

_"Scott didn't raise you?" He asked, confused._

_"Scott and my mother were only 15 and 16 respectively when I was born. I wasn't exactly a planned baby." _

_"Damn…that's…wow. So, what about your mom? Isn't she around?" _

_"She was. Unfortunately, she passed away when I was four." She said quietly, a frown forming._

_"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up." He moved to touch her hand but she pulled it back._

_"It's okay." She said, plastering a smile on her face as her food was brought over. _

_She thanked the woman and grabbed the ketchup, pouring some out onto the plate for her fries._

_"So, what are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your friends?" _

_Punk shrugged, grabbing a fry off her plate, popping it into his mouth._

_"I don't know really. You…interest me." Was all he said in response. "So, have you lived in Philly your whole life?" _

_"Yeah, I mean, I've traveled for work, but, my home's always been here…"_

Present:

Keagan remembered that conversation lasting well past the two hours she told her father she'd be gone. He and Tommy had called her half a dozen times checking on her before she finally told Punk good night. It was a good night, though. They talked music, movies, tattoos, sports, everything they could think of. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone who wasn't looking at her like she'd break. It's not like she didn't have any friends; she had plenty. But Punk..he was different. He called her on her bullshit. He wasn't as gentle as Tommy or as impatient as her father. He listened. She knew he didn't understand why she covered for _him_, but he didn't hate her for it. She sighed as she reached her destination, parking the car. She sat back, remembering when he'd moved to Philadelphia. How she hid her relationship from him then she still didn't know. It was almost like the minute Punk left _he'd_ come over, yelling at her for letting another man that close to her, hugging her, touching her. She stayed away from Punk for a while after that. But, it wasn't for long. Punk wouldn't let that stand…

_12/22/03_

_Keagan groaned as she heard someone pounding on her door. She rolled over and went to stand, giving a small yelp of pain, her left leg crumbling under her. She sat back against her bed, trying to remember how she hurt her ankle, shaking her head. It should be obvious by now; anytime she was in pain, it wasn't exactly her fault. Then again, maybe it was. After all, she was staying with him, knowing just how violent he could be…_

_"Keagan! Don't make me use my damn key! Let me in!" _

_Keagan carefully got to her feet, resting her weight on her right leg. She made her way through her apartment, grabbing the wall and furniture when she could. She finally got to the door and stopped. How was she going to explain this to Punk? Not to mention, she hadn't seen herself in the mirror yet. She might have bruises. She backed up a bit._

_"I'm trying to sleep, go away!" She yelled, walking back towards the bathroom._

_"It's two in the afternoon, Keagan. We had plans!"_

_Keagan bit her lip at that. She knew he was going to TNA on Wednesday then back to Chicago for Christmas. She really didn't want to see him; not when it set her boyfriend off so badly. But, Punk made her promise and she usually kept her word._

_"I'm not feeling so hot, can't we do it after Christmas?" She called, finally getting into the bathroom. She looked her face over. Well, at least there weren't any bruises there. As she started looking down at her arms and legs, she heard her door unlock. Cursing herself for giving him a key, she hopped into the living room and practically jumped onto the couch before he could get in. _

_"This is the greeting I get after not seeing you for over a month?" Punk said, shaking his head. _

_Keagan shrugged, running a hand through her hair._

_"I told you my schedule would be hell after my book came out. I've been out doing book tours, I made a few radio shows. Not to mention, I'm still working on the next book. I'm exhausted, Punkers." She said, a small smile gracing her lips. _

_"Well, the least you can do is let me order in some food. Come on, I brought your present…" he said, holding up a bag._

_Keagan wanted to say no, but she'd really missed spending time with him. Finally, she nodded._

_"All right, but only because I have to give you your gift, too. " She said softly. "You know where the take out menus are. Let me go get some actual clothes on and grab your gift." She carefully got to her feet. _

_She was trying not to make it look like she was hurt, but she knew she was limping and knew he was watching._

_"Why are you limping?" He asked, moving so he was in front of her._

_"I slipped on the ice coming in last night. It's just twisted, I think." _

_Instead of saying anything, he knelt down in front of her, anger filling him as he saw how swollen it was._

_"It's more than twisted, Keagan. You should go to the hospital."_

_"I can walk on it, so it can't be that bad. It's not broken. It's probably just sprained. Now, come on, I need to get out of my pajamas…" _

_"He was here again, wasn't he? He did this…" It was more of a statement than a question._

_"Punk-"_

_"Don't lie to me. You know I just want to help." _

_"If you want to help, you'll order me up some soup and let me get dressed." She said sharply, walking past him and into her room, slamming the door shut. _

_She sat on her bed, her head in her hands. She hated lying; she knew it wasn't worth it, protecting someone who seemed hell bent on destroying her. But, she believed that, deep down, she could help him, she could get him through this. She jumped as her door opened. _

_"Punk, I need to get changed." _

_"No, you need to pack." _

_"Excuse me?" She asked, turning to face him._

_"I've come to a decision. You won't tell me who's hurting you, won't even admit you're being hurt. So, here's what's going to happen. You're coming to the TNA show with me. Then, since your father doesn't celebrate Christmas and your family's going to Boston, you're coming with me to see my family in Chicago. Then, when that's over, you're going to Ring of Honor's last show of the year with me and then, when we come home, I'm staying with you." He said firmly, sitting next to her._

_"I'm a grown adult, you're not telling me what to do, how to spend my time. And, you're definitely not moving in here!" She yelled, moving to get up but, almost collapsing again._

_The only reason she didn't hit the floor was because Punk caught her._

_"it's either that or I call your father and tell him just how much worse it's gotten and he'll be on your ass worse than me." _

_"Why are you doing this? Why do you care so fucking much?" She asked quietly, tears slipping down her cheeks as she clung to him like a lifeline._

_"You're my friend. You don't deserve this, Keagan, no one does. And, if you won't help yourself, I will." _

_"Traci's gonna kick your ass when you tell her your little plan." She whispered, smiling as he laughed a little. "You know, I have been thinking of getting a bigger place. I've got the money for it…." _

_"We can talk about that later. For now, let's just try to get through this week." _

_Keagan nodded, her head remaining on his shoulder as silent tears fell from her eyes. _

Present:

Within a month of that conversation, she bought herself a house. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an in-ground pool, office space and a big basement. As she predicted, Traci wasn't thrilled when Punk told her what was going on, but, he wouldn't budge. And, his plan worked. For over six months, she didn't hear from _him_; he wouldn't come around with Punk staying there. She still got angry calls promising all sorts of punishment for moving in with Punk. She thought she was safe, thought she had finally fixed it. How naïve she had been...

She'd gotten out of her car and made her way to the counter. It was only five, so the place wasn't packed yet.

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth. How may I help you?" The cheerful young woman said.

"Hi, I'd like a ticket to Atlanta. The earlier, the better." Keagan replied, pulling out her wallet, handing the girl her ID and credit card.

"We have one leaving in 45 minutes. That should give you enough time to make it through security." Elizabeth said, looking at her for confirmation.

"That's perfect. Thank you."

As she waited for her ticket to be printed, she looked around, hoping that neither Punk nor her ex figured out what she was up to. She knew she needed help, but she wanted to do her best to keep Punk out of it.

Once she had her ticket, she made her way through security quicker than expected. She had a half an hour before her flight boarded, so she finally turned on her phone. Ignoring the missed calls, texts, and voicemails, she went through her contacts and found the number she was looking for. It was early, but, as she pressed 'call', she could only hope her friend would answer.

After three rings, it picked up.

"Keagan? It's six in the fucking morning. What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, but, I need your help. I-I got back with _him _again and-"

"What?!" Her friend yelled, and Keagan could hear the sheets shifting. "Why did you-no, forget it, I don't care why. What happened?"

"It's bad. I-I 'm on my way to Atlanta. I really need your help, Amy."


End file.
